The Rangel issue in the Murphy-Gibson race

I asked both candidates seeking to represent the 10-county 20th Congressional District for their thoughts on the the ethical tribulations of Rep. Charlie Rangel, a Harlem Democrat who once chaired the power Ways & Means committee. Here’s what they said.

“I think we’re having a trial next week to find out what actually went on, and have a public airing of the ethics issues,” said Rep. Scott Murphy, D-Glens Falls. “I think he’s admitted he’s done some stuff wrong and we’re going to figure out the details of just how much and we’re going to figure out what the correct punishment is, so I’m excited about the fact that we’re having a trial to get the facts out. People who are out saying what the punishment should be today before they have the facts, it seems like a rush to judgment.”

He noted that he has “consistently” voted to advance the probe of Rangel, and was unhappy it’s taken this long to have a hearing.

“He didn’t give me any money for my campaign, and I think that I’ve obviously been somebody who’s been a strong supporter of the ethics process working and getting us to where we are now to get the facts out and figure out what the correct punishment is,” Murphy continued. “I don’t know all the machinations behind the scenes, but I know that we need to get these things investigated, adjudicated, and we need to get those punishments meted out in a timely fashion. That’s what the public expects of us and I’m glad that we’re going to get this done before there’s another election cycle so that people will know what happened and what we’re doing about it.”

Chris Gibson, a retired Army colonel from Kinderhook, expressed his displeasure with Rangel but, unlike some other Republican candidates challenging New York Democrats, said Murphy should not be painted with the same brush, and had “no reason to personally call out” his incumbent opponent about the issue.

“Clearly I’m disappointed, and we need to speak out against this reprehensible behavior,” said Gibson, noting that he is trying to become a part of an institution with low public approval ratings. “Congress is not focused on solving the major problems of the day.”

“He holds the public trust and he shatters that trust with his personal actions, but I’m not aware of any connection between Mr. Murphy and Mr. Rangel,” Gibson said. “So what I want to do is keep this campaign in New York-20 focused in on the issues and how we can best serve our constituents.”

“The underlying issue is the lack of a budget. Because, Jimmy, it’s leadership. I understand tough times. Believe me: I’ve been in very tough circumstances, very tough circumstances indeed. But that’s when you need leadership. That’s when strong leadership steps up and provides leadership, and direction, and says this can be done and it will be done. But we don’t get that. So to me, that is the number one reason why Congress lacks strong public opinion standing in America. But I think it’s followed closely by circumstances like this, where leaders who are supposed to be putting the interests of others before themselves instead violate that public trust with these unethical actions. But I also want to say that, look, this ha happened in both parties. I don’t think it’s fair to pin this on one party or another. My view on this is — you know, I’ve been up for what, four months, and I just came from the United States Army — is that our country needs leadership right now, and that is one thing that I do have a lot of experience in, and what I do bring to the fore is proven leadership you can count on. Certainly we’re in tough circumstances right now, but given my background, and given my experiences I think that I have something special that I can add to the mix, that can focus on the problems of the day and bring people together with common-sensical solutions.”